The present invention relates to furniture and more particularly to a method of constructing chairs and other types of seating and the article formed thereby.
The so-called shell chair has become a popular item of furniture by virtue of the ease in which materials such as plastics can be utilized in its construction. However, such articles must of necessity be fabricated of plastics having certain structural qualities which unfortunately have low esthetic appeal.
Such plastics are rigid while being lightweight but the exterior surface is unattractive and thus attempts have been made to cover or paint the surface to conceal it. The approach of painting has been unsuccessfull since plastics of this type have varying absorbtion rates giving rise to expensive quality control procedures to insure a uniform product.
One solution to this problem has been the development of double shell versions in which a second shell-shaped member is used to conceal the primary member which gives the chair its structural strength. However, this approach gives rise to additional problems particularly with regard to providing adequate support for the second shell as well as closely matching the shape of the primary shell.
One prior art approach for fastening the second shell to the primary shell utilizes clips which support the second shell only at its periphery, the two shells actually being spaced throughout most of their common surface areas. Thus the second shell fails to add any structural rigidity to the chair structure as a whole.